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Merle and Marian Ottenberg have opened their Fresh Coat Painters franchise to home and business owners in and around Knox County, Tenn. “We saw this as an opportunity to work together for ourselves while employing good people, promoting good business practices, and providing good services at affordable prices,” Marian said.

Merle and Marian Ottenberg have launched their Fresh Coat Painters franchise to serve Knox County, Tenn., and its communities.

We’re selling quality. Our employees are bonded and insured. We don’t use subcontractors. And, if you have a problem, we’re local owners. We don’t have to ‘call the home office in Chicago’ to give clients an answer.

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Fresh Coat Painters has opened its second franchise in Tennessee just weeks after opening its first in that state. The newer one, owned by Merle and Marian Ottenberg, will serve Knoxville, Farragut, Clinton, Mascot and other communities in and around Knox County.
For the Ottenbergs, the franchise offers a way to “recycle and reinvent” themselves, Marian said.
She and Merle have spent most of their lives each working two and three jobs at a time to build a better life for themselves and their family.
“We saw this as an opportunity to work together for ourselves while employing good people, promoting good business practices, and providing good services at affordable prices,” she said. “Everything that’s been happening recently seems to have moved us toward this opportunity.”
“Everything that’s been happening” started when their daughter moved to the Knoxville area 11 years ago. Each time the couple visited her from their home in western Pennsylvania, they “loved it more and more,” Marian said, then as the economy began to suffer, so did their incomes.
Moving south and developing an income stream for themselves seemed like a real possibility.
“We’ve always had a strong work ethic,” Merle said, “and having owned our own businesses before, we knew that we could use our skills and experience to launch and grow a business. Fresh Coat just took all the stumbling blocks away.”
Ironically it was a casual, off-the-cuff comment that led them to Fresh Coat. While discussing business ideas, Merle told Marian “we could just start a painting company.”
In researching what such an endeavor might involve, Merle found Fresh Coat, and both he and Marian were sold right away because the company’s business model matched what they both understood about the importance of branding, marketing and client service to the long-term success of any company.
“The professionalism was apparent from the start,” Marian said. “With the backing of the company and the approved vendor lists, they’ve done much of the legwork for us.”
“It was an opportunity that just made sense,” Merle said. “With the move to Knoxville, it seemed like it was meant to be.”
Bernie Brozek, president of Fresh Coat, said that the Ottenbergs share the traits of other successful franchise owners.
“They understand that operating a painting business isn’t just about painting well,” he said. “It’s about the client’s entire experience. They want to be treated professionally from the first phone call.”
Both Merle and Marian said that approach fit with their ideals.
“We’re selling quality,” Merle said. “Our employees are bonded and insured. We don’t use subcontractors. And, if you have a problem, we’re local owners. We don’t have to ‘call the home office in Chicago’ to give clients an answer.”
Marian noted that her experience with service providers made her appreciate the Fresh Coat philosophy about client service.
“It always irritated me when someone would take forever to get back to you,” she said. “I always felt that if I’m not important enough for you to give me a callback, then I’m not important enough to give you my business.”
Brozek said the company’s business structure helps benefit clients as much as the owners and their workers. “Owners promote and grow their businesses while painters and client service managers provide quality workmanship. Clients get the best of all involved.”
Merle said that among painters he has interviewed they also appreciate the structure.
“All are experienced and some operate their own businesses,” he said. “But they’re burned out, tired of having to do it all. They welcome the chance to focus solely on painting and let someone else handle the marketing and promotion. Those who work as painters say they love to paint and that’s what they want to do. They have no interest in the operations.”
“That’s a common refrain,” Brozek said. “With so many fly-by-night operators, quality painters appreciate the chance to earn a steady income all year round. Our goal is to support our owners by providing them with the tools and resources that help ensure a new level of professionalism.”
Among those resources are a 24/7 call center, the proprietary EPIC estimating system , the Paint Now-Pay Later same-as-cash financing program, an Automatic Touch-Up program for business owners, and fund-raising opportunities for nonprofit organizations.
“These things are making launching so much easier,” Marian said. “The ability to speak with someone 24-7 makes so much sense for clients.”
And, Merle added, the technology behind the EPIC system allows clients to receive an accurate quote, rather than an estimate, listing not only the costs, but also the work schedule.
To learn more or to arrange a free, on-site quote for residential or commercial projects in Knoxville, Farragut, Clinton, Mascot and other communities in and around Knox County, Tenn., call 865-978-6645 or visit http://www.freshcoatknoxville.com.
Founded in 2004 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Fresh Coat Painters provides services for residential, commercial and governmental customers in more than 100 major cities across the United States and Canada. Fresh Coat is part of the International Franchise Association, the Small Business Association’s Franchise Registry, VetFran and Minority Fran. For more information, call 866-708-9355 or visit http://www.freshcoatpaintersfranchise.com.